Blast furnace and means foe operatinfj the same



Sheet 1.

3 Sheets J. GIL'L. BLAST FURNAGE AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME.-

Pateted Mar. 8, 1892'.

(No Model.)

\NVENTOR- 3 Sheets-Sheet 24 (No Model.

J.. GILL., BLA'ST FURNACE AND MEANS F No. 470.481

` 3 Sheets--Shee1t` 3. J. GILL. V BLAST PURNAGE AND MEANS FOR OPEBATINGTHE SAME No. .470,48-1. Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

(No Model.)

4 l PA %Il/III! i M J -WITNESSES WM i UNrrEn S'rn'rns -ATENT nmena JOHNGILL, OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND.

BLAST-FURNACE AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME.

SPECIFICATION formng part of Letters Patent N o. 470,481, dated March 8,1892. Application filed April 14, 1890. Serial No. 347381. (No model.)

producers and tuyeres connected. therewth..

The blast-furnace is to be closed at the top and to have the usual cupand cone or other suitable arrangement for charging ore and fuel.Reductive gases, especially hydrogen and carbon oXide, may be preparedby a gasproducing furnace, as hereinafter described,

' and are to be admitted or forced at a suitable temperature into the'blast-furnace near the top, whence they descend through the ores andfuel in the upper part of the furnace, and the whole or part of thedescending gases are then drawn Ott through an opening or series ofopenings around the furnace and are conducted down to the tu yeres nearthe bottom. The tuyeres each consist of an outer and inner tuyere, withan annular ring orspace between them. A pr'essure ar-blast is forcedthrough the inner tuyere into the blasts-furnace, and the infiaminable"gases brought down from the-upper 'part of the furnace enter theannular ring or space between each inner and outer tuyere, and thenozzle of the outer tuyere projects-beyond the nozzle of the innertuyere, and is so forned that the pressure air-blast passingthrough theinnertuyere draws or forces into the furnace along with itself a supplyof the said in flammable gases. The air-blast and those inflammablegases mix and ignite inside the furnace, and their combustionintensifies the heat, increases the fusing power, quickens the action ofthe furnace, and enables it to be worked with less fuel, less air-blast,and with other advantages. The supply of ar-blast and of gases admittedby the tuyeres may be regulated orcontrolled by 'means of stop-cocks orValves or similar appliances on the pipes or conduitsconveying' them tothe tuyeres. The air-blasts nay be cold or hot; but hot blast ispreferable, especiall y in large furnaces: The waste gascs or productsof combustion ascend from the zone of fusion through the materials inthe furnace and pass out by an opening or series of openings around thefurnace at a height some distance below the point where the gases in theupper part of the furnace are taken off. The waste gases and products ofcombustion after passing out of the furnace, as above mentioned, enterachamber immediately outside the furnace, in which chamber there is ormay be placed a gas producing furnace closed at top by a cup and cone orother suitable arrangement for charging it With fuel. The waste gasessui-round the gas-producing turnace and give up to it part of theirsensibie heat. The gas-producing furn ace may be made of cast metal orother suitable material. The -heat of the waste gases may also be usedfor heating the air-blast and for raising and super-heating steam. Thosegases may pass off partly or wholly by a chimney or partly or wholly bya down-comer. Part may go by a .down-comer and be used for heating theairblast or for raising steam or for other purposes, and only part mayenter the chamber in which the gas-producing furnace is placed, and maythere be burned, with the addition of air-blast, to increase the heat ofthat ehan ber The gas-producing furnace has an opening in it whereby thegases produced therein pass off by a conduit or pipe and enter theblast-furnace by one or more openings near the top. Such opening in thegas-producing furnace is preferably placed near the bottom.

Tuyeres for the admission of air-blast are placed at various heights,or, at all events, nearthe bottom of the gas-producing furn ace, andalso at some distance under the level of the top of the fuel in the saidfurnace. Each tuyere can be shut olf by means of a stopcock. When thefuel in the gas.- producing furnace is kindled and brought to a red heatby means of the air-blast through the tuyeres at the bottom, theair-blast is then shut ofi from those tuyeres and turned on by the uppertuyeres, and then the products of com-` bustion pass downward throughthe redhot fuel and out by the opening near the bottom abovementionedand enter the blast-furnace near the top, as already stated. As the onlyoutlet for the gases produced in the gas-producing furnace is bytheopening leading into IOO the blast-furnace, those gases are undersufficient pressure to enable them to force'their' way down through 'thematerials in the upper part of the'blast-furnace. Sufficicnt air-blastis admitted to keep the fuel under the tuyeres in the gas-producingfurnace at abright red heat, and superheated `steam in limited quantityis admitted a short distance under the level of the upper tuyeres. Theresult is a continuous conversion of the superheated steam into hydrogenand carbon oxide. In some cases theheat of the waste gases issuing fromthe blastfurnace may be sufficient to keep the fuel within thegas-producing furnace at a sufficient heat for the continuous' formationof the requisi'te quantity of gascs from superheated steam, in whichcase the air-blast for the gas-producing furnace may be shut off. Thegas-producingfurnace may also be worked with' air-blast and without theadnission of any steam; The quantity of gas tobe produced by the' gas-producing furnace can be regulated 'as `required by admitting more orless air-blast and more orless superheated steam, and the temperatureof. the gases produced can also be regulated in like manner. Coke,coal,slack, dross, or any; kind of fuel may be used both in thegas-producing furnace and also in the blast-furnace. Either hot or coldair-blast may be used forthe gas-'producing furnace; but `hot blast isprefer-red. -At the bottom of the gas producingf u ri na'cethe ashes maybe drawn off bya revolving screw or othersuitable means. The chamber inwhich the gas producing furnace is placed` canialsobe used, ifdesirechfor placinzfthere-` in'a col of pipe for heating the air-blast.The reductive gases formed by the gas-producing-furnace and entering theblasts-'furnace near the top at a proper temperature heat'up thecontents of the upper part of the blast-furnace 'to the requisitetemperature and distll the volatile portions of the coke, coal, or anyraw fucl that maybe used-therein,-turnthe moisturein the ores and fuelinto gases, andcarry down all the gases for-med there through the oresand fuel in the upper' part of `the furnace, which gases, containing.hydrogen and carbon oxideiaud being kept at asuitable temperature by theregulation of the heat in the gas producing furnace, have a powerfuleffect in-preparng and reducing theores. The admission of thosegases'from the gas-producing furnace and their combustion at thetuyeres, as above described, enable the blast-furnace to be worked withless than the usual amount of air-blast and to be charged with less thanthe usual 'amount of fuel, and to be worked with coke, coal,wood, orother raw fuel, and so that all the volatile portions of such fnel willbe utilized in the furnace, in the first place in reducing the ores andsecondly for 'increasing and intensifying thefusing power of thefurnace. In some instances it may be desired to dispense with thegas-producing furnace, but to adapt the drawing down to the tuyeresof'the gases' furnace and no more.

in the upper part'of the furnace, and in such cases a supply of hotgases for the top of the furnace may be got by making an opening a fewfeet above the tuyeres, and conducting the gases issuing therefron by aconduit to the top of the furnace. The conduit can be made of suitablesize, and can be regulated by a Valve or other means so as to carry sucha supply of hot gases as shall sufficicntly heat up the contents of theupper part of the According to these arrangements the furnaceis dividedinto two parts, an upper and a lower. In the upper =part-tle gasesdescend and in the lower they ascend toward the outlet for the wastegases, which is placed at the division between the upper and the lowerpart of the furnace. The lower part of the furnace can be increased ordiminished in 'height and the upper part can be diminished or increasedin height to'suit the requirements of the material to be smelted. Thehot f urnace-gases to be 'draw down to the tuyeres may in :some cases be'taken from any short distance above the tuyeres where they have a hightemperature. The adoptio'n of thispart of the invention may be ofadvantage by itself to any ordinary furnace. It is desirable to 'followthis course where it is desired to allow all the gases descending in theupper part of the furnace to pass out of thefurnace in order to carryoff i'npnrities,which otherwise might enter the metal or regulus. Thearrangements described will have advantages iu enabling smallconcentrates and the dust of ores tobe smelted without the loss whichfrequently takes place by the dust of the ores and fuelbeing'blown outat the top. Any dust of ores escaping from the blast-furnace, as abovedescribed, can be deposited in a catch pool and n'ade to tlow into thehopper atthe top of'thefnrnace. The arrangements described also affordfacilities for eliminating impurities from ores, &c., in the upper-.partof the blast-furnace before the ores reach the zone of fusion. In suchcases the reductive gases, admitted near the top of the blastfurnace',are allowed to de- -scend and to leave the f urnace along with the wastegases arising from the zone of fusion, without any portion of them beingdrawn off and burned atthe tuyeres; but a supply of the reductiveintlammable gases may be taken direct from the gas-producing furnace tothe tuyeres at the bottom of the blast-furnace without passing throughthe upper part of the blast-furnace, or otherwise a supply of in flammable f urnace gases may be 'drawn down to the tuyeres from an openingor openings a short distance above the'tuyeres and below the outlet for'the waste gases. In furnaces'for smelting such ores, whereit isdesirable to prevent impurtiestherein from entering the regulus ormetal, it may be desirable to have the outlet for the products ofcombustion at a short distance above the zone of fusion and to havetheupper part of the furnace above such outlet made higher.

IOO

IIO

Where it is desiredto carry off impurities both from the upper part ofthe furnace and also from the lower part, the upper part may be workedby means of reductive gases from a gas-produeing furnace and the lowerpart by the air-blast through the tuyeres with or without the additionofinfiammable gases drawn either from the gas-producing furnacc or froma short distance above' the tuyeres. By the arrangements described theheat in the upper as well as in the lower part of the blast-furnace isunder the control of the furnaceman.` I-Ie can increase it or diminishit at pleasure either in the lower or upper part of the furnace, and asthe reductive gases necessary in the upper part of the furnace can besupplied in sufficient quantity either from the gas-produeing furnace orby a Conduit from the lower part of the furnace, and gaseousfuel canalso be obtained at the zone of fusion in sufficient quantity to producethe heat necessary there, the fuel to be mixed with the ores and chargedinto the blast-furnace need not be more or much more than is requiredfor the Chemical reactions in the two parts of the blast-furnace. Thefuel used both `in the gas-produeing furnace and also in theblast-furnace is consumed, especially when the waste gases issuing fromthe blast-furnace are bu'rned for heatingair-blast, raising andsuperheating steam, or for heating a reverberatory furnace, so that theentire heat which the fuel is capable of producing is developed andutilized. In any case the fuel can be so consumed that Very little ofits heating power is lost, and there is also much additional reductiveand fusing power got from the hydrogen 'brought into the furnace. Theuse of hydrogen in the blast-furnace as being one of the most effectivereductive and heating agents known will be of some value, and thearrangenents described will enable it to be applied with greatadvantages.

,In the drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4: are vertical sections ofblast-furnaces adapted for the purposes of carrying out my invention. a

Fig. 1 shows a close-t'opped iron-smelting blast-furnace A A', with aclose-topped gasprodueing furnace B in an adjoining chamber C. Theblast-furnace has an upper part A and a lower part A' and an outlet Dfor the waste gases between them. This outlet D communicates with anopening or recess E, made round the inside of the brick-work of thet'urnace. The waste gases on passing 'out of the furnace surround thegas-produeing furnace B and then leave the chamber C by a down-comer F,to be used for heating the air-blast and for raising steam. The gas fromthe gas-produeing furnace B is conducted by a pipe .or passage G to nearthe top of the blast-furnace, where it enters and passes round .in achannel H, made in the brick-work, whenee it passes through openings Il'into the furnace; or it may pass direct from the pipe or passage G intothe recess H made tuyeres.

round the inside of the brick-work of the fur-` nace. It then passesdown through the ores and fuel in the upper part of the furnace till thewhole or part of it is drawn off by a recess I, made round thebrick-work and communieating with a passage J, which leads it to achannel K, whenee it is drawn down through passages K' by and to thetuyeres L, to be mixed with the air-blast entering the furnace andburned therewith inside the furnace. i

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the gasprodueing furnace is dispensedwith and a supply of hot gases is taken by a recess M made round theinside of the brick-work and an opening N in communication therewith ashort distance above the tuyeres and conducted by a Conduit G, built infire-brick, to

at H' into a recess ll?, made round the inside of the brick-Work of thefurnace, and it then descends through the materials in the upper part ofthe furnace till the whole or part of it is drawn off at I and conducteddown by the Conduit J to the channel K, whenee it is led by passages K'to the tuyeres L to be mixed with the air-blast entering the furnace.The descending of the gases in the upper part of the furnace is eausedor promoted, first, by the pressure of the gases in the lower part ofthe furnace; second, the suction or exhaustion in the conduit J, leadingdown to the tuyeres, caused by the force of the pressure air-blastthrough the tuyeres, and, third, the draft of the chimney acting throughthe outlet F for the waste gases. The opening N in the lower part of thefurnace for the gases going to the top of the furnace may be much nearerto the tuyeres than is shown in the drawngs. In this arrangement hot-airblast and superheated steam may be introduced into the upper part of thefurnace for thepurpose of fo'ming hydrogen and earbon nace, and also toaid the fusing action at the Fig. 3 shows a furnace, water-j acketfurnace, for smeltin g cop per ores, concentrates, &0. The gases descendin 'the upper and rise in the lower part of the furnace. There is apassage N, about two feet above the tuyeres, communicating with aconduit G, which opens into the furnace at 1-1', near the top thereof.This eonduit G takes a regulated supply of hot furnace-gases to the topof the fnrnace. These gases and the volatile portions of, the fueldescend through the upper portion of the furnace, and the whole or partthereof is then drawn off by a Conduit J, leading to the tuyeres L, in amanner similar to that described in reference to Fig. 2. The waste gasespass off at F, abouthalf-way up the furnace, to the chimney R. There isa catch-pool S in the chimney for collecting fine-dust and allowing itto run into the hopper T on the top of the furnace, whenee it en- IIOoxide to aid the reductive action of the furwhich may be a ters thefurnace with each successive charge. y

Coal or coke or any kind of fuel may be used with this furnace.

Fig. tis a diagram showing how a series of my improved blast-furnacesmay be combined and worked together and may be so arranged as toVolatilizeand carry off sone inpurities from the ores or 'fuel in theupper parts of such furnaces. According to `this arrangement thegas-producing furnace delivers its hot gases into the upper part of thefirst blastfurnace of the'series at preferably sonewhat under thesurface of the ores or materials in the furnace. They pass down throughthe ores and fuel in the said upper part, and after heating, reducing,and preparing the said ores are led off wholly or partly at V to wasteor-to heatthe gas-producing furnace or to be u tilized for other heatingpurposes. The furnace-gases from the lower part of the furnace are takenoff at E,wholly or inpart, and are cond ucted by the passage or ConduitD to the upper part of the second blast-furnace in the series. Thesegases, afterpassing down through and heating, reducing, and preparingthe ores in the upper part of the said second blast-furnace are takenoff at W' and are led away by the passage or conduitF', either to wasteor to be utilized for heating purposes. Th furnacegases from the lowerpart of the said second furnace are taken off wholly or partly at E andare conducted by the passage or Conduit D to the upper part of the thirdblast-furnace in the series, and so on for any required number ofblast-furnaces. The gases introduced into the upper part of the lastfurnace in the series, after passing down through the ores and fuel andheating, reducing, and preparing the ores in the upper part of suchfurnace, are taken off at E along with the gases from the lower part ofthe f urnace, and' are led away by the passage or Conduit F 'to wasteor-to be utilized for heating purposes.-

The outlets V and W for the waste gases coming from the upper parts ofthe first and' second furnaces are preferably restricted by means ofsuitable dam pers or otherwise, so as to maintain the pressure of thegases in the lower-part of each of those furnaces, respectively, andthereby to force such gases into and down through the upper part of thenext furnace in order.

hen it is des'red to volatilize or remove impurities 'from the ores by aprelim'inary opaddition of any fuel, and the first is used as ablast-furnace, consisting of upper and lower parts, as above described,and the upper part is worked by neansof gases from a gas-producingfurnace, as already described. These gases on leaving the upper part ofthe blastfurnace, with or without the addition of part of thefurnace-gases from the lower part of the blast-furnace, are conducted tothe upper part of the second or calcining furnace, where they enter andpass down through the ores in the upper part thereof, and thence go towaste, while the furnace-gases from the lower part of the blast-furnaceor part thereof are conducted to the lower part of the second orcalcining-turnace, where they enter and ascend through the ores in thelower part thereof, and thence go to waste. By this arrangement the oresare subjected to several successive Currents of hot gases, first, in theupper part of the second orcalcining furnace second, in the lower partthereof; third, in the upper part of the first or blast furnace, and,fourth, in the lower part thereof. The admission of superheated steamand air blast into the upper and lower parts of 'the second or calciningfurnace,eithercontinuouslyorintermittently, may be of much advantage.

I am aware that it is not new to provide an escape for the waste gasesfrom a blast-t'nrnace located in a position between the upper and lowerportions ot' such furnace; also, that it is not new to admit anair-blast at or near the top of a blast-furnace, so'as to produce adescending current therein; also, that it is not new to employ agas-producing furnace for supplying gases' to be mixed with the airblastat or near the tuyeres of a blast-furnace; but., so far as I am aware, agas-producing furnace has not hitherto been used for supplying gases,especially hydrogen, to the upper part of a blast-furnace for thereduction of ores in such upper part.

I am also aware that it is not new per se to draw off furnace-gases nearthe top and to bring-them down and mix them'with the airblast at thetuyeres, and I would have it understood that I make 'no claim separatelyto any of the features above stated to be not new; but

What I do claim is- 1. The process of reducing ores mixed with fuel andarranged in a vertical column, which consists in iguiting thefueL'thereby causing inflammable gases tobe evolved, drawing off thesegases from the lower portion of the column, introducing them into theupper part of the column, and causing them to descend through thecolumn, substantially as set forth.

2. The process of reducing ores, which consists in arranging the ore infurnaces in several vertical columns, causing a blast of reducing gasesto pass downward through the first of the series of'columns of ore,conducting the gases which escape from this furnace to the top of thenext in theseries, causing such gases to pass downward through thecolumn of ore in such furnace, and so on throughout the series,substantially as set forth.

3. The herein-described method of operating blast-turn aces, consistingin supplying infiammable gases to the upper part of the furnaoc, incausing said gases to pass down through the material to be reduced, inthen withdrawing them from the furnace, together 'with other gases whichmay have been taken 47o,4s1 i 5 up or acquired from said material, andin then forcin g the gases so withdrawn into the botto n of the furnace, together With an air-blast, substantially as set forth.

4. The berem-described method of operatin g blast-furnaces, consistingin supplying inflammable gases to the upper part of the furnace, incausing said gases to pass down through the material to be reduced, inthen withdrawing them from the furnace, together With other gases whichmay have been taken up or acquired from said material, in then forcingthe gases so withdrawn into the bottom of the furnace, together with anair-blast, and in withdrawing the products of combustionfrom the furnaceat a height intermediate between the point of exit of said gases and thepoint of their reintroduction, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described method of operating a blast-furnace, whichconsists in causing a current'of hot inflammable gases to descendthrough the upper part thereof, Withdrawing hot furnace-gases from thelower portion of the furnace and above the tuyeres, forcing or blowingsaid furnace-gases, with the air-blast, into the bottom of the furnace,and withdrawing the products of combustion at a pointbelow the exit ofsaid furnace-gases, substantially as set forth.

6. The berem-described blast-furnacghaving the duct Gr communicatingwith a gasgenerator opening into the top of the furnace, the duet J inthe outer wall, the distributing surrounding duct K, the ducts K',connected 3 5 therewith, and the air-blast tuyeres at the lower end ofthe latter duet, substantially as set forth.

7. A blast-furnace having a gas-opening I-I', communicating with agas-generator, and exit I, communicating with the tuyeres, and anoutlet-fiue for the products of combustion intermediate between saidexit I and the tuyeres, substantially as set forth.

JOHN GILL. Witnesses:

CHRISTOPHER D. BUTLER,

Of 3 Oaledom'an Place, Edinburgh. ROBERT KEMP,

Of 35 Frederick Street, Edinburgh.

